How can I tell if my air conditioner is broken?

There are no two ways about it, hearing that soft click from the air conditioner followed by cool air on a hot summer night is music to anyone’s ears. But when your air conditioner fails to provide that much-needed break from the heat, it can mean hot, uncomfortable nights for everyone in the household. Luckily, if you feel your air conditioner might be broken or working improperly, there are things you can do to troubleshoot the situation before calling the handyman. Regardless of your position, it’s always a good idea to understand what might be wrong with the unit before deciding on how to rectify the issue.

Check the Unit’s Power
If the case is your unit just isn’t turning on, the problem might be as simple as a blown fuse or tripped circuit. Locate your breaker box and verify if any switches have been moved from their “power on” positions. In the case, one has been tripped, turn the breaker completely off and then back on again. For example, if you have a central air system, the breaker could be marked as “furnace” because often times the furnace’s blower unit is what distributes the air conditioners cold air.

Troubleshoot the Thermostat
Air conditioners which run off central air use the home’s thermostat. A good first step is always to confirm that the setting hasn’t been changed from cool to auto. The same thing goes for the home’s temperature setting. Someone could have accidentally lowered or changed the temperature by mistake. Also, modern programmable thermostats run on battery power, so if it has been more than a couple months since the batteries have been changed, it might well be time to put in some fresh ones.

For ideas on how to further troubleshoot your air conditioning unit, check out this great list of helpful suggestions by Consumer Reports, available here. Otherwise, if you’re ready to have your unit fixed or serviced by a licensed professional, don’t hesitate to contact the experts at Norman Aire Services